Drinking has been part of the culture at the state Capitol for decades, especially during the long days and late nights near the end of the session, but pandemic restrictions this year have kept the public out of the Capitol and some say led to an uptick in partying. “When you have very few people around, and you have a lot of idle time, and the ability to vote from your office, yeah, that .
House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, acknowledged Wednesday that remote voting from the Legislative Office Building, a change of rules and culture during the COVID-19 pandemic, has contributed to incidents of drunkenness during House sessions.
Last week, Ritter said, he and House Majority Leader Jason Rojas reprimanded lawmakers who had been drinking while isolated at the LOB, the office building on the state Capitol campus closed to the public and all but a skeleton staff this year.
Connecticut’s Speaker of the House is warning that state lawmakers who continue to drink alcohol excessively during legislative sessions could face serious.